conference

The year’s largest gathering of multiple sclerosis “minds” starts on Oct. 25 in Paris. More than 8,000 neurologists, researchers and others who specialize in treating and curing MS will be attending MSParis2017. It’s a joint meeting of the European and the Americas Committee for Research in Multiple Sclerosis…

Genentech will present a host of new information on its multiple sclerosis treatment Ocrevus and lessons its scientists have learned about the disease at the 7th Joint ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS Meeting in Paris, Oct. 25–28. The presentations will offer new insights into the therapy's mechanisms, safety and effectiveness in people with the primary progressive and relapsing forms of MS. They will also look at new ways to track MS, including additional biomarker possibilities. MS experts say the joint meeting of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) and Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) is one of the largest global congregations of scientists working on the disease. The information Genentech plans to present will demonstrate "the commitment of our scientists and research partners to advance understanding of MS progression through ongoing analyses of the Ocrevus Phase 3 clinical trials,” Dr. Sandra Horning, the company's chief medical officer and head of its Global Product Development arm, said in a press release. Genentech, which is part of the Roche group, said the 18 presentations will represent the largest body of evidence ever presented on Ocrevus. The discussions will reinforce the therapy's favorable benefit-risk profile, Genentech added. Two presentations will cover new ways that doctors can look for signs of disease activity that can lead to disability. One yardstick is called progression independent of relapse activity, or PIRA. Another is tracking slowly evolving lesions. Genentech researchers came up with the approaches when they analyzed a subgroup of patients in the OPERA I and OPERA II Phase 3 clincal trials, whose aim was to evaluate Ocrevus as a treatment for relapsing MS. The patients' disease progressed even though they had no relapses, researchers said. The team will also discuss how Ocrevus affected these patients' disease. Another presentation will cover long-term follow-up data from an extension of the ORATORIO Phase 3 clinical trial (NCT01194570), which dealt with Ocrevus' ability to treat primary progressive MS. It will   look at how well Ocrevus slowed the progression of patients' disability. Updated information on Ocrevus’ safety —  based on open-label extension studies — will be another component of the presentations. So far, researchers have detected no new safety issues. Genentech will also discuss a new way of using conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to identify and track slowly evolving lesions. The company's scientists think that tracking the lesions may be a good way to measure chronic disease activity. This would contrast with tracking ordinary MS lesions, which are biomarkers of acute — as opposed to chronic — disease activity. In addition to "two new potential markers of underlying disease activity and their impact on disease progression, we hope to bring new tools to the MS community to better understand and manage the disease,” Horning said. One tool, which Genentech has begun testing in clinical trials, is gathering patient information with sensors connected to a smartphone. Researchers are comparing the information obtained in the FLOODLIGHT study with what physicians record during patient visits. The research team believes the FLOODLIGHT method may be be able to detect subtle changes better. This could make it a better predictor of disease activity and long-term patient outcomes. In addition to the presentations, Genentech will sponsor two symposia at the meeting that will discuss how MS progresses, features of the chronic version of the disease, and the link between inflammation and the progression of MS. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Ocrevus in March 2017.  

I’ve been at a conference the last few days where scholars from around the world are discussing health literacy. It’s a subject much more complicated than just wondering at what level a person might read, or if they can read at all. It’s also a discipline rooted in…

Spain’s Oryzon Genomics will offer new data on the preclinical efficacy of ORY-2001, an epigenetic modulator it is developing to treat  multiple sclerosis (MS). Its presentation is set for Oct. 26 at MSParis2017, the joint international meeting of the European and Americas Committees for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis…

The 7th Joint ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS Meeting, the world’s largest annual international conference devoted to basic and clinical research in multiple sclerosis, will run from Oct. 25 to 28 in Paris — the city of Jean-Martin Charcot, the “Father of Neurology,” who provided the first detailed description of multiple sclerosis (MS)…

Gilenya decreased relapses in children and adolescents with multiple sclerosis in the phase 3 PARADIGMS trial, according to the therapy's developer, Novartis. The Swiss company will present the trial's results at the 7th Joint ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS meeting, set for Oct. 25-28 in Paris. The study addressed the safety and efficacy of an oral, once-daily dose of Gilenya in 215 MS patients aged 10 to 17. Participants received 0.5 mg or 0.25 mg of Gilenya, according to their body weight, and results were compared with those of intramuscular Avonex (interferon beta-1a given once weekly). The trial — conducted at 87 sites in 25 countries — was designed in partnership with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the International Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Study Group. Gilenya led to a "clinically meaningful decrease in the number of relapses" over a period of up to two years, compared to Avonex, according to the trial. The safety results of Gilenya matched those observed in previous trials, with adverse events more likely among the Avonex group. Importantly, the PARADIGMS trial is the first-ever randomized, controlled Phase 3 study of a disease-modifying therapy in pediatric MS. No treatment is currently available for children and adolescents with MS. Novartis will now complete a thorough evaluation of the results and later submit Gilenya for approval by regulatory agencies. It will also extend the study to a five-year period.

TG Therapeutics will discuss ublituximab's ability to deplete B-cells linked to multiple sclerosis and to reduce inflammatory brain lesions at the 7th Joint ECTRIMS–ACTRIMS Meeting in Paris next month. The three presentations will cover preliminary results of a Phase 2 clinical trial of ublituximab's safety and effectiveness as a treatment for relapsing forms of MS, the company said in a press release. The conference will be Oct. 25-28. Dr. Amy E. Lovett-Racke of Ohio State University will discuss ublituximab's ability to decrease B-cells associated with MS after six months of treatment. Ublituximab is an antibody that targets B-cells carrying the CD20 protein on their cell surfaces. These cells are thought to play a role in MS development. Dr. Matilde Inglese of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York will discuss ublituximab's ability to decrease study participants' inflammatory brain lesions. And Dr. Edward Fox of Central Texas Neurology Consultants, the trial's principal investigator, will do a poster-session presentation on the study's patient characteristics and preliminary results as a whole, including safety. The ongoing Phase 2 trial is still recruiting patients with relapsing forms of MS. Researchers are randomly assigning participants to receive intravenous infusions of either ublituximab or a placebo. One of the study’s primary goals is to see how well ublituximab depletes B-cells 28 days after the start of treatment. Another primary goal is to see how safe the therapy is, with the measurement being treatment-related adverse events that patients experience over six months. Ublituximab’s ability to reduce relapses will be a secondary measure of the trial. Researchers will assess it after 48 weeks of treatment. Fox, who is the director of the Multiple Sclerosis Clinic of Central Texas, and a clinical assistant professor at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Round Rock, made a ublituximab presentation at the 3rd Congress of the European Academy of Neurology in June. It revealed that the therapy nearly depleted B-cells only four weeks after treatment started. Earlier data suggests that ublituximab can be administered in only one hour. Ocrevus, the only approved MS therapy that targets B-cells with CD20, requires 3 1/2 hours. Although the Phase 2 trial is continuing, the data generated so far supports plans for two Phase 3 trials, TG Therapeutics said. They will randomize patients to receive either ublituximab or Aubagio. The trials, which the company hopes to start by the end of September, will be conducted under a Special Protocol Assessment agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It allows the FDA to evaluate the design and population size of a trial a company intends to use to seek a drug's regulatory approval. The FDA has refused to approve therapies whose trial design it believed to be flawed. Obtaining a design sign-off before a trial improves the chance of a treatment being approved if it meets the study's objectives.

MediciNova will present data from its clinical trial of ibudilast (MN-166) in progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) at the upcoming 7th Joint ECTRIMS – ACTRIMS Meeting in Paris. The European and American Committees for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS and ACTRIMS) selected the presentation “…

The online multiple sclerosis community GeneFo will hold a webinar next week to discuss the latest research findings on how mitochondrial antioxidants may affect MS. The webinar, which will be open to patients who register, will start at 1 p.m. U.S. Eastern Standard Time on Thursday, Aug. 24. GeneFo…

The Americas Committee for the Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis, otherwise known as ACTRIMS, says its third annual ACTRIMS Forum will take place Feb. 1-3, 2018, at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront in San Diego, California. These forums bolster the ACTRIMS mission, which is to foster the careers of young researchers interested in MS by promoting mentor relationships with senior scientists, and giving promising investigators a chance to present their early research findings. ACTRIMS 2017 was a record-breaking year with over 800 people attending. Organizers say 1,000 people will attend this year's conference. The 2018 forum's theme is “Therapeutic Targets in MS: The Frontier and the Future of Disease Modifying Therapy.” ACTRIMS 2018 also features continuing medical education credits for attendees, as well as participation grants for applicable young investigators.

MSWorld, one of the world’s largest patient-run organizations supporting people with multiple sclerosis (MS), plans its first patient education event, MSWorld Talks, in Pittsburgh on Aug. 14. The all-day conference is free and open to all those in the Pittsburgh area who live with MS, as well as their family…

Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) significantly reduces disease activity and disability progression in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) and primary progressive MS (PPMS), according to results of post-hoc analyses of Genentech’s Phase 3 clinical trial program assessing the drug.

The National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society has selected research highlights from a recent MS conference in an effort to help make living with the disease less burdensome. Presentations from the May 24-27 annual meeting of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) in New Orleans — which ranged from advice on smartphone apps to diet…

Editor’s note: Patient columnist Laura Kolaczkowski attended the 31st annual Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers conference in New Orleans. We’re facing a major problem in the near future due to a shortage of researchers for multiple sclerosis, according to Jerry Wolinsky, MD, Bartels Family and Opal…

Editor’s note: Patient columnist Laura Kolaczkowski attended the 31st annual Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers conference in New Orleans. The information in this article was taken from an interview session with the physicians.   The use of gadolinium, which is the contrast agent often used during MRIs for multiple…

The recent annual meeting of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) brought researchers and healthcare professionals to New Orleans to discuss advances — and obstacles to advances — in multiple sclerosis (MS) research. Clinical trials, preclinical studies, basic research, and health interventions were among the May meeting’s focus. Multiple Sclerosis News…

Taking Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) for two years inhibited magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) disease activity in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) for more than six years, the CARE-MS I clinical trial extension study found. Researchers presented their study, “Durable Efficacy of Alemtuzumab on MRI Disease Activity Over 6 Years in Treatment-Naive RRMS Patients With…

Most people who care for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients are happy to be caregivers, but they admit that their own emotional and physical health — as well as their financial security — suffer as a result. That’s according to the online vsMS Survey, supported by Sanofi Genzyme, which assesses the physical…

Young multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who engage in physical activity can relieve symptoms of depression, concludes a Canadian study supported by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Researchers presented their study, “Longitudinal Relationships Between Moderate and Vigorous Physical Activity, Fatigue, and Depression in Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis,” at the 2017 Annual Meeting of the…

Multiple sclerosis patients who benefited from Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) in two Phase 3 clinical trials continued to benefit when they extended their treatment, researchers reported. In fact, their annual relapse rates have fallen even further during the extension study than during the trials. The study, “Preliminary Results of the OPERA I and…

Long-term treatment for up to 12o weeks, with the investigational drug Ozanimod (RPC-1063), found to be effective and safe in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) who participated in the RADIANCE clinical trial. Celgene, Ozanimod’s developer, presented the study, “Efficacy and Safety of Ozanimod in the Blinded Extension (120…

Multiple sclerosis patients who start Rituxan (rituximab) treatment are three times more likely to have unchanged or improved brain-scan readings than worse ones, according to a study. Holy Name Medical Center researchers presented the findings at the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers annual meeting in New Orleans, May 24-27. The presentation…

Older patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) as well as older relapsing patients whose MS has been inactive after five years may safely discontinue their treatments, Canadian researchers at Vancouver’s University of British Columbia argue. Their Sanofi Genzyme-sponsored study, “When Should Disease-Modifying Treatments Be Discontinued in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis: An…

Cladribine tablets reduced relapsing multiple sclerosis patients’ annual relapse rate by 55 to 57 percent, depending on the dose, according to clinical trials. EMD Serono, a unit of Cladribine’s developer, Merck, presented the trial results at the 31st annual meeting of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers in New Orleans,…

Long-term therapy with Tysabri (natalizumab) significantly improved the mental state of people with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), according to results of a Biogen-supported study with patients taking the drug for almost two years. Biogen presented the study, “The Impact of Natalizumab on Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Secondary Progressive…

Patients must help develop new outcome measures of multiple sclerosis (MS), since they and healthcare providers may have differing perceptions of how crucial various measures are, a new study argues. Researchers from the Multiple Sclerosis Center of Atlanta shared this insight today at the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) 2017 Annual…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who feel stigmatized because of their condition are more likely to have depression,  research presented at the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers Annual Meeting showed. The Pennsylvania State University research team said the impact of the stigma can be eased by lots of social support, a sense…

The use of multiple sclerosis (MS) mobile apps by patients and their clinicians encourages shared decision-making and helps patients improve their outcomes, finds a study presented at the 2017 Annual Meeting of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC), taking place May 24-27 in New Orleans. The study, “Shared Decision Making: Connecting…

Patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) regain part of their balance control after a single training session of ball-throwing exercises, finds a study supported by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Researchers presented their study, “A Single-Session Training of Ball Throwing Exercise Improves Balance Control in Individuals with Multiple Sclerosis,” at…

Genentech has rolled out a website to connect multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and caregivers with resources that can help them. The company unveiled GatherMS at the annual meeting of the Consortium for Multiple Sclerosis Centers in New Orleans. The event started May 24 and will end May 27. Genentech created GatherMS…